London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Health reforms will put patients in the capital at risk, admit NHS chiefs

Patient care in London could suffer because of the Government's health reforms, NHS chiefs have admitted.

They claim that Andrew Lansley's landmark reshaping of the NHS could also delay on-going changes in the capital to improve the health of Londoners.

Labour immediately seized on the NHS London document which lists more generally other risks which could be increased by the reforms, including "preventable harm to children", "unsafe maternity services" and a winter hospital crisis.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "We have consistently warned that this is the wrong time to reorganise the NHS and that it needs stability to focus on the financial challenge. By ignoring this, the Government is gambling with people's health and children's safety - it will send shivers down the spines of Londoners."

Health Secretary Mr Lansley denies this, insisting his reforms will improve patient care, give clinicians more power and make services more locally accountable. The NHS London risk register identifies areas which it specifically links to the changes that will hand GPs sweeping new powers over a £60 billion commissioning budget.

The risks include: "Disruption" on the "delivery of business" which could mean "patients receiving sub-optimal care".

A huge programme to save billions in the NHS could be hampered, hitting trust finances.

A London-specific shake-up of hospitals and other NHS services could be delayed "undermining significant improvements in the health of Londoners".

The army of 1,000 public health workers in the capital could "fragment".

NHS staff including "key talent" could leave. The document also lists other risks which NHS London says could be affected by the reforms but are not directly linked to them in the report.

An NHS London spokesman said: "It is our responsibility as the health authority for London to identify and manage potential risks to deliver safe services for patients. These risks cover a wide range of services and issues, including how we manage the transition to 2013 appropriately.

The more we plan for and pre-empt issues, the less of a risk they become."